New York City's New 'Golden Age'

Summary

Episode Overview

Episode Title: New York City's New 'Golden Age'
Date: December 8, 2025
Host: Kennedy
Guest: Jimmy Failla

In this lively episode of "Kennedy Saves the World," Kennedy and comedian Jimmy Failla tackle New York City’s present and speculative future, riffing on homelessness, city politics, social decay, and the culture of survival with sharp wit and personal anecdotes. Interlacing humor and social commentary, the pair reflect on how policy and political leadership could catalyze a new, grittier “golden age” for New York — reminiscent of its wildest past eras.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New York's Policy Proposal Satire

• Mayoral Politics:
  The episode opens with sharp satire about Zoran Mamdani, hypothetically positioned as New York’s next mayor, and his plans to make the city “the most affordable city in America” by not clearing homeless encampments.

  • "When Zoran Mamdani is sworn in as our next mayor, you can live anywhere you want in New York City. It becomes the most affordable city in America." – Kennedy (00:12)

• Homeless Encampments and Quality of Life:
  Kennedy and Failla riff on the increasing normalization of public drug use and homelessness, lampooning the city's potential future with unregulated encampments.

  • "The hottest new apartment in Manhattan is a Winnebago with no license plate." – Jimmy (00:34)
  • "Even better. It’s a Coleman tent." – Kennedy (00:38)

• Drug Decriminalization:
  They criticize safe injection sites and the trend toward decriminalizing (and, potentially, subsidizing) drug use.

  • "All you're allowing people to do is exist just a half a level above death." – Kennedy (01:47)

2. Cultural Callback: New York’s Wild Side

• Triple X Times Square & 90s Depravity:
  The conversation detours into personal stories from when Times Square was a seedy den of vice, with firsthand memories capturing how lawlessness shaped previous eras.
  • "We're getting another shot at like what we did in the late 80s or in early 90s when it was like Triple X Times Square." – Jimmy (03:39)
  • "That was the first place I went… My friend Sean, as a joke, took me to a Times Square Triple X theater." – Kennedy (03:50)
  • "My friend Vinnie goes, oh, my God, is she going to be here tonight? And the guy who's like the Mater D guy goes, oh, you don't want to see her now." – Jimmy (05:05)
• Both hosts reflect with laughter, disgust, and a touch of nostalgia for an era that, while dangerous, shaped the city’s “character”.

3. Urban Decay Meets Dark Comedy

• Homelessness & Public Space:
  The conversation pivots to a present-day anecdote about an encampment near Kennedy’s home and experiences with aggressive pedestrians in Seattle.

  • "We had a homeless encampment pop up across the street from our apartment building, and they cleared it out within two days." – Kennedy (06:20)

• Traffic, Pedestrians, and Uber’s Impact:
  Jimmy blames Uber and Lyft for taking over from old-school cabbies, changing how people use crosswalks:

  • "When we were cab drivers… cabbies floored into intersections and clear the road of pedestrians… Now that you have guys concerned with hitting the car they have to take their kid to school with in the morning, they've given back the roads to the pedestrians." – Jimmy (06:42)

4. Generational Financial Literacy & City Affordability

• Advice for the Next Generation:
  Kennedy asks Jimmy what advice he gives his son Lincoln about city affordability and the future.

  • "What do you tell your son about affordability and the next ten years of his life?" – Kennedy (07:47)
  • Financial Literacy: Both hosts praise the proliferation of investing education on social media and encourage starting early with compounding interest and custodial accounts.
    • “Financial literacy was not an issue, was not a trend. It was not a thing when we were growing up." – Kennedy (08:08)

• Millennial & Gen Z Side Hustles:
  Comic riffs on unconventional money-making like FeetFinder or OnlyFans:

  • "None of us were selling pictures of our feet… Had a decent home EC teacher said to us, hey kids, don’t waste time." – Jimmy (08:17)
  • "You don't make any money unless you're doing weird stuff like crushing a pumpkin with your toes." – Kennedy (08:26)

• Long-Term Planning:
  Jimmy shares his baton-passing metaphor for being responsible to your future self.

  • "You're going to hand the baton to the next Lincoln who's going to have to look you in the face and have an opinion of you based on how he thinks you did with the baton." – Jimmy (09:16)
  • "On my 30th birthday, that baton pass from 20 something me to 30 something me was not cordial. It was like when the Trumps came to the White House to succeed the Obama, just a real bad body language." – Jimmy (09:26)

5. Humor as Shield and Sword

• Golden Age, or Golden Shower Age?
  The hosts close by lampooning the idea that New York is heading into a new “golden age,” complete with bodily function jokes and exaggerated doom.
  • "It's going to be a golden shower age." – Kennedy (04:34 & 10:20)
  • "Welcome to New York. We can't wait to see you. All of you just pissing all over fifth Avenue. It's gonna be a great week." – Kennedy (10:27)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Mayoral Policy Satire:
  "Go on Facebook Marketplace, find a semi-outdoorsy family who is giving up on camping, grab their tent, move to New York." – Kennedy (00:43)
• On Drug Policy & Depravity:
  "Bobby has three needles. He shoots up with two. I can see the math scores going up as we speak." – Jimmy (01:40)
• On Quality of Life and Business Owners:
  "If you run a business, and some guy sets up a tent out front, nothing you can do about it." – Kennedy (02:42)
• Triple X Anecdotes:
  "Is this what it's come to for most people? Literally and euphemistically?" – Kennedy (04:18) "This is a zoo where we'll allow you to spank the monkeys… but you gotta do it with some dignity." – Jimmy (05:09)
• Batons and Life Transitions:
  "That baton pass from 20 something me to 30 something me was not cordial… just a real bad body language all around." – Jimmy (09:18)
• Embracing the Chaos:
  "The golden age is upon us." – Jimmy (10:19)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:09 – 01:08: Satirical proposal for NYC's homelessness policy under a hypothetical Zoran Mamdani mayoralty.
• 01:36 – 02:55: Drug decriminalization and safe injection sites mocked.
• 03:00 – 03:48: Accessibility issues due to sidewalk homeless encampments; nostalgia for 80s/90s NYC.
• 03:50 – 05:53: Times Square’s Triple X era and sobering coming-of-age anecdotes.
• 06:20 – 07:19: Experience with homeless camps in Seattle and pedestrian-cabbie dynamics.
• 07:47 – 09:56: Financial advice for the next generation, compounding interest, and humorous side hustle riffs.
• 10:06 – End: “Golden age/golden shower age” puns; episode wrap-up.

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Tone & Style

The conversation is irreverent, fast-paced, and comedically biting — blending snark, social critique, and nostalgia for a grittier, less sanitized New York.

If you missed the episode:
Expect unfiltered banter, satirical policy takes, gritty city lore, and a mixture of exasperated affection and eye-rolling about NYC’s perennial problems. It’s equal parts a comedy roast, a civics lament, and an offbeat celebration of urban survival.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

Hello, and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. Jimmy Fayla is back in action. And, Jimmy, I've got great news for you. Because when Zoran Mamdani is sworn in as our next mayor, you can live anywhere you want in New York City. It becomes the most affordable city in America because he's going to do everyone the biggest favor. He's. He's clear. He's not going to clear out homeless camps.

[B]

The hottest new apartment in Manhattan is a Winnebago with no license plate.

[A]

Even better. It's a Coleman tent.

[B]

It's not. We're not making this up, folks.

[A]

Go on Facebook Marketplace, you know, find a semi outdoorsy family who is giving up on camping, grab their tent, move to New York, because they're just throwing people out in the street.

[B]

First we had the Cub Scouts. These are the club Scouts. You know, it's just people who did too many drugs in the clubs and wound up living on the street in tents. And that's what we have. And to give you guys some background on just how bad this is, Eric Adams in 2022 did away with homeless encampments, which was at the peak of him trying to be a resistance warrior against Trump in 2022. He was the, quote, the Statue of Liberty guy. Give us your tired, you're poor. That whole is big. He's very pro. Emma Lazarus, you know what I'm saying? But then he realized, oh, this sanctuary city, things like actually problem. And this quality of life issue, which was letting people do drugs enough safe injection sites and everything in between was bad. But Mom, Donnie's like, we're back at it. Yeah, we're bringing it back.

[A]

We are not clearing the homeless camps.

[B]

No, but think about. People are going to learn math now. Okay? Bobby has three needles.

He shoots up with two. I can see the math scores going up as we speak.

[A]

That's great because they'll have clean needles and I'm sure they'll start subsidizing the drugs because they're not going to legalize drugs. But they'll decriminalize things and pretend like they're just the most sanctimonious, loving people in the world. But really all you're allowing people to do is exist just a half a level above death.

[B]

Yes, that's all that is. That's all that safe injection site garbage is. And decriminalizing it is the first step towards subsidizing it. Because they're going to go, well, you know, we only have these crime problems because these poor People can't get their hands on drug money. So here's some drug money, everybody. It's like you're trying. You remember the Broadway play the Producers when they're trying to tank the plane, collect insurance money? That is like, Zoran Mamdani is the Max Biali stock of mayors in that regard.

[A]

It will be springtime for Hitler here because not only is he doing whatever he can to bet against New York, he's also an anti Zionist.

[B]

Yeah. Not a friend of the Jewish community. Zoran Momdani. And man, I keep coming back to that basic quality of life thing because this is the deal, as you know, if you run a business, right, and some guy sets up a tent out front.

[A]

Yeah. You know, nothing you can do about it.

[B]

Nothing starts celebrating Palm Sunday, it doesn't matter.

[A]

And you know, my friend Brian Suits pointed this out a few years ago. In la, they have homeless encampments that block sidewalks. So if you are a disabled person, you can no longer use that sidewalk. So it's like a violation of Americans with disabilities.

[B]

Yeah. Check your privilege, disabled guy. Oh, just because you have a house and you need to get your wheelchair past the less unfortunate guy in the tent. It's so bananas, man. But, you know, there's a part of like New Yorkers, because we live New York, is a spiritual dominatrix. It's like if you live here, it's because you like the beating in some capacity. And I think there's a part of that that appeals to all of us who aren't leaving is we're getting another shot at like what we did in the late 80s or in early 90s when it was like Triple X Times Square.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And we're getting to go back to that. I'm not telling you.

[A]

That was the first place I went. My friend Sean, as a joke, took me to a Times Square Triple X theater. Yeah. And I, I la. Like, I felt so vomitus because it was. It was funny to go in there as a prank. Then seeing the people who were actually there, I was like. And one guy came in and was like, hey, you know, we. We got a. A cheap motel around the corner. You guys would have a threesome.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And my friend Sean's like, we just had a five some. He's like, I'm dehydrated. There's no way. And I'm like, is this what it's come to for most people? Literally and euphemistically?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the thing. So we're going to be in A golden age of that, you know, it's.

[A]

Going to be a golden shower age.

[B]

Can I tell you a funny story? So one of the most sober.

[A]

Speaking of tinkle parties.

[B]

Hey, girl. One of the most sobering moments of my life, okay, my senior year in high school, we went to a place called the Triple Treatment Theater, okay? It's a classy venue. They had a brass sign on the side of the wall that said, men in front row must keep their blanks in pants at all times. These are the type of classy.

[A]

The guys, the second or third, all bets are off. All pants are off.

[B]

Okay? But in the first row, we're not animals, fellas.

Listen, this is a zoo where we'll allow you to spank the monkeys, okay? But you got to do it with some dignity. So the point is, that sign was on the wall, but the sobering moment was not the sign. It was that as we were going there to watch the show, we were underage kids again. New York was that depraved. I was in high school, but you could get in okay. And I'll never forget running up the stairs. They have all these pictures of, like, adult actresses on the wall to entice you into coming in. And my friend Vinnie goes, oh, my God, is she going to be here tonight? And the guy who's like the Mater D guy goes, oh, you don't want to see her now. It just. It hit me in like a way because it was like such a throwaway line, but I was like, my God, what becomes of these people? And. And that cured me of the thing before I even got to really partake in the thing in a good natured way. But I don't know that everybody's gonna get that talk.

[A]

In my diagram, it's a conversion experience.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I pledged. I committed to Jesus right then in the front row.

[A]

Don't go anywhere. More Kennedy Saves the World right after this. This is Ainsley Earhart. Thank you for joining me for the 52 episode podcast series the Life of Jesus.

[B]

A listening experience that will provide hope, comfort and understanding of the greatest story ever told. Listen and follow now at fox news podcast.com or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[A]

We had a homeless encampment pop up across the street from our apartment building, and they cleared it out within two days. But it's like in. In the future. I was in Seattle this weekend and there are homeless camps everywhere and also aggressive pedestrians that just enter a crosswalk even when they don't have a light. Yeah, just like no, we're, we're going. I'm not taking any responsibility for my side of this.

[B]

Do you know who I blame for this really quickly? Uber and Lyft. Why do I say that? Because the people are now driving their own vehicles and they're not going to hit you. When we were cab drivers, okay, we don't even pay for car insurance. Once you are licensed and you pay for to register your TLC permit for the two year window, you're just covered under the collective insurance umbrella. Which is why cabbies floored into intersections and clear the road of pedestrians. Now that you have guys concerned with hitting the car they have to take their kid to school with in the morning, they've given back the roads to the pedestrians. That's where it would really help New York a little bit, to bring back the true cabbies, the true owner operators. Because they don't care.

[A]

No.

[B]

And then they own the roads.

[A]

That's the only way you clear an intersection in New York is when you gun it. Because if you gingerly go through, you'll have a mob of people from both sides. Because they smell the weakness.

[B]

Yes, that's the thing. They see it on you. And then if one car, if one car breaks, even though he has the right of way, 7,000 people now flood that crosswalk. And look at you, the guy stuck in the middle of the road. Look at this. A hole. Yeah. I'm like, no, you're actually the guy breaking the law right now.

[A]

What do you tell your son about affordability and the next 10 years of his life?

[B]

Oh, man. So we keep having this chat about investing and you know, in ways, I.

[A]

Have to say, like the one great thing about social media is if you look for any investing stuff for younger people, you get bombarded, which is the best thing that's ever happened.

[B]

Financial literacy.

[A]

Financial literacy was not an issue, was not a trend. It was not a thing. When we were growing up, no one had any idea how to open a Roth IRA account.

[B]

And you know that's true because none of us were selling pictures of our feet. Had we known, had a decent home EC teacher said to us, hey kids, don't waste time.

[A]

I was joking about feet finder the other day and one of my friends goes, oh yeah, I did that for a while. And I was like, what? And she goes, I have super pretty feet. And she goes, well, you don't make any money unless you're doing weird stuff like crushing a pumpkin with your toes. And I was like, okay, all right. Anyhow, aside from feet Finder and only fans.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

There are other avenues. So you talk to Lincoln about that.

[B]

We talk about compounding interest. You can invest in the. Get a custodial account, which is what he's done, which we're doing with him, and just investing in the s and P500 and getting in the habit of feeding the thing. Money could be three bucks, could be 50 bucks, could be 20 bucks.

[A]

Yeah. When you link your, your account, your bank with that fund, anytime you have a little extra money and they always say, like, instead of buying Starbucks every day, put $8 in your account every day and, and watch it compound and.

[B]

You will make money. So we're having that conversation and everybody should think in those terms, man. You know, I always give the speech about handoffs. Like I said, you're going to hand the baton to the next Lincoln who's going to have to look you in the face and have an opinion of you based on how he thinks you did with the baton. You know, and this is something I learned because my, on my 30th birthday, that baton pass from 20 something me to 30 something me was not cordial. It was like, it was like when the Trumps came to the White House to succeed the Obama, like they just, just a real bad body language all around and that, that went on. So I tried to make the baton pass.

[A]

29. You hit 30. You in the head with the baton.

[B]

Yeah. 30 year old guy who was crushing a pumpkin with his feet at the time to make ends meet. So you got to look ahead, play the.

[A]

Yeah, but you know, if only 30 year old Jim were living now, you could, you could live in a tent. You could, you could have adjoining tents in any part of the city.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's gonna be amazing.

[B]

The golden age is upon us.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Is that what they said? I believe it was you. You said it was the golden shower. Yeah, that's golden.

[A]

All right, go have a wonderful week. Welcome to New York. We can't wait to see you. All of you just pissing all over fifth Avenue. It's gonna be a great week. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Jimmy Kayla. I'm Kennedy. Listen ad free. With a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcasts and Amazon prime members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network. It.